The central theme of the congress is “Echinoderms studies during uncertain times”. With this topic we want to acknowledge the need for positioning our work in the unprecedented period we are living. We are facing multiple crises at the same time related to biodiversity loss, climate change, natural resources scarcity and human health. During these uncertain times we, humans, should rethink the way in which we relate to and value nature. The echinoderm and hemichordate communities have an important role in these emergencies, from local biodiversity studies to genetic adaptation of organisms to climate change. We need to understand the magnitude of our impact across scales, from molecule to communities, and provide knowledge that can be part of the solution.

Plenaries have been planned according to the central theme of conference. The talks will cover the genomic adaptation of echinoderms under climate change scenarios, sustainable aquaculture to provide food to developing countries and to avoid overfishing of natural stocks, the extraction of echinoderm derivate products for human health, among other interesting questions.